“And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.” (Luke 23:18)
No situation—fictional or otherwise—ever devised by man involves a choice more baffling than that of the crowd before Pilate. A man condemned for murder and sedition stands beside another who healed the sick, raised the dead, and taught with divine authority. One brought death, the other gave life. Yet the multitude cries, “Release unto us Barabbas!”
Such a decision defies reason and reveals the nature of man’s depravity when left to himself. This was not a choice between two prisoners; it is the universal verdict of sinful hearts against the holiness of God. The crowd did not cry out ignorantly, for they had seen His miracles, heard His words, and witnessed His compassion. Yet they despised Him still.
Pilate thought he had devised a clever way around this dilemma: Present the most absurd contrast imaginable, and the people would choose rightly. But sin blinds. What man esteems as just and good is bent out of all form when pride, rage, and fear take over. And so, the voice of the people becomes the voice of rebellion: “Away with Him.”
From Eden to Golgotha, mankind has consistently chosen the lie over the truth, rebellion over submission, and darkness over light. Adam exchanged communion with God for the whispers of a serpent. The crowd exchanged the Son of God for a murderer. And every heart that follows the world over Christ repeats that same exchange: something cursed for Someone holy.
Scottish theologian and minister David Dickson said, “When Pilate should have expressly dealt for innocent Jesus, he propones to the people their choice, whether they will have released Barabbas or Jesus. As avarice is one, so envy is another of the sins which killed Christ; as avarice is ready to sell Christ, so is malice and envy to pursue Christ to the death: as Judas his avarice is already manifested, so now the Priests envy is made manifest also; for, Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered him.”[1]
The question persists even now in the daily posture of every soul: “Whom do You choose?” The world still prefers the fleeting sins that destroy over the Savior who redeems. And so the soul must answer: Will Christ be denied again? Or will He be received with faith, love, and surrender?
Contemplations:
- The Death That Sets Free. O blessed Savior, by Your death You freed two notorious malefactors—Barabbas from temporal death, and the thief on the cross from eternal ruin. One received life for his body, the other for his soul. Let my heart never doubt the power of Your cross to free from both, for it is in Your death and resurrection that life everlasting is purchased and peace secured.
- Redemption from Sin and Judgment. Lord, do not allow me to presume upon grace. If You have redeemed me from damnation, do not let me remain enslaved to sin. Free me from the dominion of darkness as surely as from its curse. Let me not seek deliverance from hell while still clasping the very chains that fasten me to it.
- Neglecting the Savior. Lord, how often I have chosen other things over You. How often I have allowed lesser affections to shout down Your tender calls. In refusing the draw of Your Word, how loudly I have cried, “Release Barabbas!” Forgive me, Lord, for every instance in which my will sided with rebellion instead of righteousness.
Prayer (Confession)
O God, how foul is the heart of man without the renewing work of Your grace! How blind, how proud, how hostile to what is holy! I confess that I am no better than the crowd who cried for Barabbas. My sin has chosen rebellion over peace, corruption over purity, and self over the Savior.
You, Lord Jesus, stood silent before the accusers, though You were pure, holy, harmless, and undefiled. I have often preferred the seductions of sin to the sweetness of Your presence. I have heard Your call in the pages of Your Word and the whisper of conscience, yet I have turned aside, saying by my actions, “Not this man, but Barabbas!”
Forgive me for the shameful barter of my affections. Cleanse me from the madness that trades the pearl of great price for fleeting dust. Let not another day pass where I follow a lie and neglect the Truth. Redeem me from the bent of my nature, that I may no longer cry for Your removal but run to Your embrace.
I plead for that grace which opens blind eyes and renews corrupt hearts. Turn my choosing, O Lord, until it is ever fixed upon You. Let every idol fall, every competing voice be silenced, and every rival claim renounced. Rule in me. Reign through me. Let me never again choose Barabbas when the Savior stands before me. Amen.
Further Scripture References for Luke 23:18:
John 18:40; Matthew 27:16; Mark 15:7; Acts 3:14.
[1] David Dickson, A Brief Exposition of the Evangel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew (London: Printed for Ralph Smith .., 1651), 329–330.
